Floor spring assemblies



April 18, 1961 H. c. SHEAD FLOOR SPRING ASSEMBLIES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 20, 1959 Eur-cc:

A Home y April 18, 1961 H. c. SHEAD FLOOR SPRING ASSEMBLIES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 20, 1959 WMQASLQL Inventor ttorney United States Patent '0 FLOOR SPRING ASSEMBLIES Herbert Charles Shead, Birmingham,

of one-half to William Newman Birmingham,

Filed Jan. 20, 1959, Ser. No. 787,906

1 Claim. (Cl. 16--55) This invention relates to floor springs for doors, and has more particular reference to arrangements of that kind wherein the floor spring casing is located within an outer frame normally known as a loose-box, which is let into, or secured to the floor. This arrangement is used in buildings having concrete floors, the outer frame or loose-box being grouted into, or secured in, the concrete, whilst the floor spring casing has usually been permanently fixed within the outer frame or loose-box in one definite position by means of screws where the floor spring casing has been fixed within the loose-box so that it has been impossible to make any adjustment of the floor spring casing and, therefore, of the position of the spigot or axis about which the door turns, it has not been possible to adjust the position of the door in the event of its being incorrectly hung. It is the object of the present invention to provide simple and improved means for re-v leasably securing the floor spring casing within the outer frame or loose-box so that its position may be readily adjusted when required.

According to the invention, a floor spring casing containing spring door-closing mechanism is secured within an outer frame or loose-box by releasable clamping means in such a manner that it may, When released, be manually adjusted relatively to the outer frame or loose-box in its own plane in all directions, a clearance being left between the floor spring casing and the outer frame or loose-box to permit of such relative movement. The floor spring easing may be provided with exterior flanges resting on supports on the inside of the outer frame or loose-box, and it may be secured, after adjustment, by clamping members or bars disposed beneath the floor spring casing supports and arranged to be moved up against the underside of the latter by screws passing through the fioor spring casing flanges so as to draw the latter down on the said supports. Or, the floor spring casing may be fixed within a loose-box by a clamping plate or member secured by screws screwing into the loose-box, the said clamping plate or member bearing on the top of the floor spring casing, and flanges on the latter resting on supports inside the loose-box so that the floor spring casing projects up slightly above the loose-box, the arrangement being such that when the screws are tightened the clamping plate or member forces the floor spring casing flanges down on to the supports in the loose-box.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings shows a floor spring casing and loose-box assembly constructed and provided with releasable clamping means in accordance with this invention, the loose-box being in longitudinal section and the floor spring casing in elevation.

Figure 2 shows a cross-section through the loose-box, with the floor spring casing mainly in elevation.

Figure 3 is a sectional-plan of the floor spring casing and loose-box assembly, with the cover plate of the loosebox removed.

Figure 4 shows a modified arrangement, with the floor spring casing in elevation and the loose-box in crosssection.

2 ,979,758 Patented Apr. 18, 1961 Referring to Figures 1 to 3 of the drawings, the floor spring casing 1 is housed within an outer frame or loosebox 2, and the said casing 1 contains spring door-closing mechanism, which may be of any suitable form. The casing 1 is provided at each side with an integral exterior longitudinal flange 3; and an upsanding spigot 4 projects up from the casing to engage a socket on the door. The casing 1 is closed by two cover plates 5. The flanges 3 at the two sides of the floor spring casing 1 are arranged to rest on internal bearer flanges 6 integral with the two opposite side walls of the outer frame or loose-box 2, two bearer flanges at each side, whilst each bearer flange 6 is gapped at 7, as shown in Figure 3; and set down below the plane of the bearer flanges 6 at each side and disposed between the flanges 6 is an integral lug 8 formed with a slot 9. The outer frame or loose-box 2 is intended to be grouted into a cement floor to lie flush with the latter and it is made larger than the floor spring casing 1, so that when the latter is more or less in a central position in the loose-box 2 the casing 1 is separated from the wall of the latter on all sides by a gap or clearance 10, as shown for example, in Figure 1. This surrounding elearance 10 enables the floor spring casing 1 to be moved manually in its own plane over the bearer flanges 6 in any direction, either, for example, in a longitudinal or lateral direction; or it may be turned or swivelled about a vertical axis within the limits permitted by the outer frame or loose-box 2. The latter is closed at the top by a cover plate 11 which is cut away at the spigot end of the floor spring to provide an aperture 12, having around the spigot 4 a clearance, so that the cover plate does not interfere with the adjustment of the floor spring. The cover plate 11 is secured to the outer frame or loose-box by screws.

In order to secure the floor spring casing 1 in an adjusted position Within the loose-box 2, a pair of bars 14 are provided which are disposed longitudinally within the loose-box, one at each side of the floor spring casing 1. Each bar 14 is arranged to rest on the set-down lug 8 at the respective side of theouter frame or loose-box and it is loosely anchored at the middle to this lug by a rivet 15 passing through the aperture 9, the rivet being retained loosely in place by a washer 18. The two outerend portions of each bar 14 arearranged to pass beneath, and lie close to, the under faces of the two bearer flanges 6 at the respective side of the loose-box, so as to come below the gaps 7 in the said flanges, whilst formed in each end of each bar 14 is a screwthreaded hole which is engaged by the lower end of a screw 17 passing down through the gap 7, as shown in Figure 1. Each screw 17 extends up through the external flange 3 of the floor spring and through the cover plates 5 of the latter, and

the arrangement is such that when the screws 17 are turned in the appropriate direction the bars 14 are drawn up tightly against the underfaces of the bearer flanges 6, Whilst the flanges 3 of the floor spring casing are at the same time drawn down on to the upper faces of the said bearer flanges 6, thereby securely clamping the floor spring casing in place within the loose-box. By turning the screws 17 in the reverse direction the bars 14 at the two sides are moved down from engagement with the bearer flanges 6, thereby releasing the floor spring casing 1. The latter may then be manually adjusted in its own plane relatively to the loose-box in any direction, as previously mentioned, and after adjustment again fixed in place by means of the screws 17, the bar anchoring rivets 15 turning freely within the slots 9 according to the adjustment made, movement of the ends of the bars being permitted owing to the size of the gaps 7 through which the screws 17 pass.

The loose-box cover plate 11 is removed to permit of the adjustment of the floor spring casing, the said cover plate being again secured in place after the adjustment has been made. By suitably adjusting the floor spring casing 1 within the loose-box 2 the floor spring spigot 4 about which the door turns maybe readily, set in justthe right position; Thus, in the case of double doors, the

spacing of the meeting stiles of the latter may. be cor-p being provided with a clamping plate, it may he provided with one or more clamping bars extending across the floor spring casing and secured by screws in the same way.

I claim:

In a floor spring assembly, a floor spring casing, exterior flanges on said casing, said flanges having apertures therein, an outer frame'receiving said casing, supports carried by and disposed within said outer frame, said supports having apertures therein, the aforesaid apertured exterior flanges on the floor spring casing resting on the apertured supports and a clearance being left between i the said casing and the outer frame to permit of moveflanges 22 inside the loose-box, the'fioor spring casing being separated from the wall of the loose-box on all sides by a clearance 23, so that the floor spring casing may be manually adjusted in its own plane to bring the spigot 24 into the right position to correct any inaccuracy in the initial mounting of the door, substantially as in the previous arrangement. When the, floor spring casing is resting on the flanges 22 the top face of the floor spring casing projects a short distance above the top of the loosebox 20, as shown in the drawing. In order to retain the floor spring casing 19 in an adjusted position a rectangular clamping plate 25 is provided'which rests on the top face of the floor spring casing and projects beyond the four edges of the latterto lie above, but vertically spaced from, the upper edges of the loose-box, the plate 25 being gapped or cutaway at one end to leave a wide clearance between i the supports being of enlarged size relatively to the crossthe plate and the spigot base, so as not to interfere with the. adjustment of the floor spring casing. The clamping plate 25 is secured by screws 26, two at each side, passing through the plate up to their head ends and screwing into tapped holes in the edgesaof the loose-box, and when 7 the screws are screwed down into thelatter, thc clarnping plate is pressed down on to the top face of the floor spring casing, forcing the flanges 21 of the latter down on to the flanges 22 of the loose-box. Before the floor spring casing can be adjusted the screws 26 haveto be loosened, thereby freeing the floor spring casing, the screws being again tightened after the necessary adjustment has been made. 7 V

Instead of the floor spring casing shown in Figure 4 ment of the casing in its own plane in all directions, a pair of bars which are each formed with a plurality of threaded holes spaced from each other in the direction of the length of the bar, and which are disposed within and loosely'anchored to the aforesaid outer frame and are disposed beneath the said apertured supports carried by the latter, one bar at each side of the outer frame, and screws passing through the apertures in the flanges on the casing and through the apertures inthe aforesaid supports, said screws engaging the longitudinally-spaced threaded holes in the said bars and being operable to move the said bars upwards against the undersides of the said supports carried by the outer frame to draw the flanges onthe floor spring casing down onto the said supports, said bars and screws constituting releasable clamping means for clamping the floor spring casing in an adjusted position within the outer frame, the casing being movable in all'directions in its own plane when released by slackening the screws, and the aforesaid'apertures in sectional size of the corresponding screws passing through said apertures, to leave sufficient clearance between the screws and the supports to permit of the screws moving with the casing when the latter is being adjusted in its own plane; a I

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,120,544 I Rosentreter Dec. 8, 1914 2,544,252 Carlson Mar. 6, 1951 2,820,243 Gibbons Jan. 21, 1958 2,872,695 Voester et at Feb. 10, 1959 

